This archive report was first published on 20 November 2019.
On Monday, a pro-government mob broke into a cathedral in Managua, injuring a priest and a nun while attempting to dislodge activists demanding the release of political prisoners, according to church authorities.
The incident is the latest in a series of clashes between the government and the Catholic Church, which has a powerful role in Nicaragua. President Daniel Ortega has accused bishops of supporting deadly anti-government protests that rocked the country last year.
Students at the Central American University in Managua demonstrated on Tuesday, shouting 'Respect the Church' and throwing water and dirt at security forces blocking the entrance. They demanded the release of 16 opposition activists, including Belgian-born student leader Amaya Coppens, who were arrested for trying to bring water to 11 female hunger strikers.
The United Nations human rights office voiced alarm at the harsh tactics used against the protesters, calling on the government to end the 'persistent repression of dissent' and 'arbitrary arrests.'
Nicaragua's political crisis erupted in April 2018, when protests mushroomed into a popular uprising against Ortega that was met with a brutal crackdown in which hundreds were killed.
As of November 20, 2019, nine people had begun a hunger strike at the cathedral, and 11 women had started a similar protest at a church in the northern city of Masaya. Both hunger strikes are part of an intensifying campaign for the release of 139 opposition protesters arrested during the 2018 demonstrations against Ortega.
